


Kitsune

by CatLady86



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe, Blood and Injury, M/M, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Some Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-27
Updated: 2017-11-27
Packaged: 2019-02-07 16:57:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12845490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatLady86/pseuds/CatLady86
Summary: Day two prompt 2: Fantasy Creatures AUWhile playing in the forest one day, a little Kitsune finds himself ensnared in a trap only to be helped by a human boy. Once freed, the little creature longed to see the boy again and took any chance he could get to meet him.





	Kitsune

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for how long this is, but I hope it's cute. :D

The first time the two had met, was when Noctis had stubbornly ignored his people's warning about traveling too far from their den. Ever since he was a kit, he was regaled with tales of the evil humans hunting the Kitsune for their beautiful pelts or kidnapping them to show off in their sideshows, even the more harrowing ordeal of them being taken and used as sex slaves. But the wily little Vulpes snuck away anyway from his skulk to explore around, chasing Chickatrice and a few wild hares for practice. But then, as he pounced into some brush, he felt a sharp pain in his hind leg and something clamping down that kept him from escaping. He yelped shrilly and attempted to pull his leg free, only for the pain to become agonizing and for fear to set in. Noctis laid down in defeat, whimpering softly and then looked on in terror as a figure approached him. A young boy, not much older than nine or ten, stopped and stared at the trapped creature. The boy’s amber eyes scanned across him, Noct cowered back and whimpered pitifully as the human child stepped closer until he was right on top of him. Noctis looked up at him with fear, but that quickly melted away as the boy carefully pried the teeth of the leghold trap apart and tossed it aside. He reached into his satchel and produced a handkerchief that he used to bandage the bleeding leg before stepping back and looking at him.

“There, now off with you. Go back to your family, little fox, before the other hunters come.”

Noctis stood up on his shaky legs, looking at the boy with thanks and bounding away. He was disciplined by his elders for disobeying their orders, saying it was not how those from the royal line should act. But Noctis was foolhardy and would still sneak away, hoping to see the young boy again and maybe even become friends with him since the other pups of his clan shunned him. But also too he wanted to test out a new spell he had learned that helped him gain his second tail. He finally gets his wish one day, picking up a scent he had become all too familiar with from the handkerchief he keeps hidden among his treasures. He finds the boy’s discarded clothing by a small pond and carefully creeps up to catch a glimpse of him. He had grown considerably, looking about early teens now, and was sporting thick muscles under his sun-kissed skin that bears some faded scars. Noctis watches as he bathes himself in the lake, washing off what appears to be blood from a recently killed beast, letting his blue eyes drift across his form. But he quickly reclaims his mind as the young man dips under the water, not coming up quick enough for Noct’s liking and beginning to panic. In a flash he dives towards the pond, being swathed in a blue light, and plunges under the water. He resurfaces with the gasping teen in his arms, no longer in his fox form but that of a young black-haired, slender, and pale skinned boy. The two boys stare at one another, Noctis looking with deep concern at the other while he stares in embarrassment.

The Kitsune moves in closer to the other boy’s face and smiles. “I saved you, just as you saved me. I’m so happy.”

The older boy looks bewildered by Noctis’ words, staring at him intently and shaking his head. “I wasn’t drowning, just getting my hair wet. And I don’t recall ever meeting you before, let alone saving you.”

This makes the younger boy pout and looks at him sadly with his sparkling blue eyes. “You don’t remember me?” he says and then realizes something. “Oh, wait, I’m in my human form.”

Noctis turns and swims back towards the edge of the pond, hoisting himself out and ignoring the startled gasp from the older boy. He turns towards the other, finding him red-faced and with his hands over his eyes. Noct purses his lips in confusion, before recalling that when he transforms he’s nude and had just exposed himself.

“Oh, oh sorry I forgot I was naked.” he says and beams. “But anyway, look here, look here!”

The older boy slowly removes his hands from covering his eyes, looking to the other who is engulfed by a light and then replaced by a small black fox with two tails. He looks stunned at what he is witnessing and becomes even more shocked when the boy forms back into a human. The brunette scans down his form before settling on his legs, noticing a scar that encircles the boy’s foot.

“Wait, you’re that little fox I saved from the trap.”

Noctis cheers happily and jumps back into the water, quickly swimming over and wrapping his arms around the older boy. “Correct! Well, actually I’m a Kitsune, I live here in the forest.” he says and nuzzles the boy’s face. “I’m so happy you came back, I really wanted to see you again. Did you want to see me again too?”

“Uh I umm.” the teen stammers out, face turning a deep shade of red.

“Gladiolus!? Come on, we need to take this mark back to the proprietor. Your dad said if you’re not with us in five minutes you’ll be left here overnight!” a voice calls out.

“Sorry, but I need to go.” the boy, Gladiolus, says and peels the smaller boy’s arms from around him, swimming back to the edge and making sure to hoist himself out decently. 

“Aww, but we didn’t get to play.” Noctis pouts as he swims after the boy, resting his head on the edge and looking up at him with a frown. “Oh well. Will you come back again so we can play?”

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll tell my people about you? I know what you are and what humans do to your kind.”

“Nah, you saved me when my leg was caught and didn’t tell anyone. So I know you’re a good person. Plus you have a nice smell, I sleep curled up with that cloth you gave me sometimes when I’m sad.”

The older teen grunts and turns a dark shade of red at his admission. “You have no filter, do you?”

“What’s a filter? Is it something you eat?”

“Nevermind.” Gladiolus sighs and shakes his head, putting more of his clothing back on. “Look, I’m sorry but it’s really dangerous for you to be out here. Not everyone is nice and they may harm you, so please just stay with your kind.”

This cause Noct to look crestfallen, sinking slightly into the water. “But I want to be friends with you, I don’t have any since the others of my clan think I’m weak because I’m so small compared to them.”

The older boy looks at him and frowns, putting his shirt back on and then kneeling down. “Hey, look. I would really like to be your friend too and all, since I like to learn about all types of creatures, but it is way too dangerous for you out here by yourself.”

“Well, can’t you protect me then? You seem really strong.”

“Wha? I can’t do that.”

“Sure you can. When you come to visit, I’ll change into my human form so no one will know what I am, we can play, and you can keep me safe with your big arms if a bad thing tries to hurt me. So you see, everything will be okay.”

“You’re really naive.” the older boy says, not snidely though as he lets a smile slip through. 

“So, will you come back and visit me?”

“I uhh, “ he begins and sighs. “We’ll see.” 

“Yea! You’re the best Gladiolus!” 

“It’s umm, just call me Gladio.”

“Okay and you can call me Noct.”

Noctis climbs from the pond and stands before the boy, smiling up at him and chuckling at the redness that dusts his cheeks. He wraps his arms around Gladio’s chest, hugging him tightly and nuzzling his chest. Gladio tenses up but slowly begins to relax, patting the smaller boy on his head. The two boys part from one another, leaving Noctis alone at the pond. He squeals excitedly and returns to his fox form, dashing back to his burrow where he keeps his treasures and begins sifting through them. He eventually comes across a necklace he found left by a ransacked camp that reeked of blood and Voretooth, planning on giving it to his new friend the next time they meet. Noctis sees Gladio a month later, but can’t go to him due to being flanked by a group of gruff men. They have set up a camp and were apparently hunting for something foul from what he was able to overhear. But instead of returning back to his den, he chose to stay by the campsite, hoping for a brief moment when the teen is away from those men. He waits patiently, or tries to since he decides to amuse himself by playing little tricks on the group. Nothing terrible, just moving cups or boots from where they were put and changing the temperature of their drinks. Eventually, Gladio breaks away from the camp, moving deep into the forest and looking as though he is searching for something. Noctis yips with joy that they are alone now and bounds over to him, only to stop and lay low when the teen looks at him with anger and points a finger at him.

“You! Go home! You’re being a nuisance and it’s putting the others on edge.” 

Noctis whimpers and looks up at him with big blue eyes, the teen still scowling at him. He attempts to creep forward and gets a huff from the other boy. 

“Look, the hunters know something is up with all your little mischief and have said that if they found out who was causing all the problems they’d kill them.” he says and looks downtrodden. “So please return to your den Noct, I don’t want you hurt.”

Noctis pouts but understands him. He goes to leave but stops and turns back to the boy, shifting to his human form and trying not to snicker at the others scandalized grunt. He removes the necklace from around his neck and presents it to Gladio. 

“Here, for you, it’s one of my treasures. So you can remember me always.” 

Gladio takes the necklace and looks it over, smiling at it and nodding. “I like this thank you Noct.” he says and puts the jewelry around his neck. He smiles and the notices the boy is looking at him expectantly. Gladio sighs and reaches into his satchel, searching for something. “Here.” 

Gladio pulls out a large black cloth and tosses it to the younger boy, snickering as he dives away from it and looks at it with terror.

“What is that thing?” Noct asks, nudging it with his foot. 

“It's a shirt, you can wear it when in your human form. It’s quite big so it will cover up your, umm, bits.” the teen says, pink tinting his cheeks. 

Noctis picks up the shirt between a couple fingers and grimaces at it. “Umm, thanks?” But then he brings it closer to his face, giving it a sniff and noticing it smells heavily of the older boy. He presses it closer, a feeling of euphoria overtaking him and making him let out a happy little noise. “I shall cherish this.”

“Uh actually just wear it, okay. I need to head back to the camp, so please return home.”

“I will, thank you Gladio. I’m happy we got to see each other again, even if it wasn’t very long.”

“Yeah, me too.” 

Noctis giddily leaps up and wraps his arms around Gladio’s neck, pulling him down slightly to where he can press a quick kiss on the boy’s cheek. He releases him and steps back, smiling at the flustered look the other has. Noctis returns to his fox form and grabs up the shirt in his mouth, taking one more look back at Gladio and wagging his tails, then setting off back into the deep forest. But despite saying he’ll stay away, he doesn’t and returns more times, catching the teen alone and pouncing him playfully. After the second attempt at scolding the little Kitsune, Gladio gave in to the younger’s demands, sneaking away more from camp to be with him. He did eventually talk him into wearing the shirt he gave him, finding it amusing to see the little fox bound over while swaddled in the cloth before turning into a human. He told him why him and the hunters were there, stating that a pack of Coeurls that had attacked people in the nearby town had been seen in the area and that they were tasked with hunting them down and killing them to protect more innocent lives from being taken. Noctis found this to be awe-inspiring, telling him that the big cats would hunt and kill his kind if they had the chance and thanked him for also protecting his people too, making the teen blush. The two boys went fishing eventually, showing one another how they go about it, with Noctis diving straight into the water and Gladio explaining how a fishing rod works. Noct liked Gladio’s way better since he didn’t get his fur wet. Noctis lead Gladio to his secret spot on another day, bringing up all his treasures to gleefully show the teen and learning what they are from the teen. Noctis becomes antsy and nosey later, pawing through Gladio’s satchel when the teen wasn’t paying attention and finds a beautiful ring. He slips it on his fingers until he finds one that it doesn’t slide off of easily and holds his hand up to look at it, marveling how much it sparkles.

“Hey! Put that back!” Gladio snaps.

Noctis looks at him and holds his hand to his chest. “But it’s so shiny.”

“Come on Noct, that’s my mother’s wedding ring.”

“Wedding ring?” he says and looks at it. “What’s that?”

“It’s a ring you wear to signify your commitment to the one you love.”

“How come you have it then?”

Gladio frowns and looks sullenly. “My mother passed away after receiving fatal wounds during a hunt a couple years ago. She gave that to me, so that when I find the person I wish to spend the rest of my life with I can give it to them.” 

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Noctis says and takes the ring off carefully, handing it back to the teen with a frown. But then he feels his heart begin to race and his cheeks heat up, fidgeting around and looking down at his bare feet. “So, do you have someone?”

“No, not yet. But I’m sure when I get older I’ll find someone special.” 

Noctis feels a bout of conflicting emotions from his response that he can’t quite understand, but before he can ask Gladio any further, the teen is called out to by one of his fellow hunters. They bid each other farewell, with Noctis placing a quick kiss on Gladio’s cheek and getting one in return much to his surprise, and promise to meet again. Then on the next day, something terrible happens. The air is thick with fog and it has been raining nonstop all morning. Noctis crawls out of the borough from a secret tunnel, ignoring the warnings from his father and the other elders. He sniffs around, catching a strong scent of iron, of blood and this makes him fearful. It wasn’t beast's blood, it was human, and there was a lot. He follows the smell, feeling more and more dread as the stench becomes more prominent, and then he finds his worst nightmare true. The camp, the one where Gladio was staying, was destroyed. The tents were shredded and burnt, maimed corpses lay strewn about some spotting deep gashes that Noctis knows were made by Coeurls. Panic sets in and the little Kitsune searches through the devastation, trying to find the teen but his body is not amongst the dead. A light feeling of relief washes over Noctis, that maybe Gladio was away from camp during the attack and was safe. He hears a high pitched shriek echo through the forest, making everything go quite and his blood run cold. It was a Coeurl, letting out a final wail as it died. Noctis rushes to where the noise came from, finding more body parts and shredded corpses. Then, he finds him. Gladio stands over top of a felled Coeurl, a large sword plunged through its side. He’s panting painfully, blood oozing down from a gash across his eye and forehead, and another across his chest. He pulls the sword from the dead beast, stumbles back until he collides with a tree and slides down it. Noctis whimpers and rushes to him, nuzzling his face and rolling onto his lap with relief.

“Noct? Gods, you need, to leave. There’s still more out there, they’ll kill you, they already killed two of the groups. Damn.” he winces and wraps his arms around his quivering body, tears trickling down from his uninjured eye. “Please go.”

But Noctis stays by his side and laps at his face tenderly, making the teen sigh and stroke his fur. But a deep hiss stops them both, looking back and seeing two of the beasts manifesting from the fog. Noctis feels a deep fear as the large cats stalk forward, eyeing him first before setting their eyes on the injured teen. He knows he can’t fend off the both of them by himself, but he can’t leave Gladio to die either. He had to do something, or else he’ll lose his first and only friend. The Kitsune then feels a strong emotion overtake him, standing protectively in front of the older boy and growling at the encroaching Coeurls. In a flash, one of the cats lunge at him and is struck down by a spear of ice, it puncturing through its back and pinning it to the ground. Noct’s whole body glows brightly as a third tail forms and swishes around with the other two present. The second Coeurl hunkers down, it’s tendrils dancing around almost hypnotically as a blue light emits from them. Noctis waits, knowing from the warning his father told him what striking them at that time entails. But he’s dragged from his concentration when he hears a pained gasp come from Gladio, looking back at him and seeing him stare with dread at something to their side. Another Coeurl had snuck up and was preparing to pounce. Noctis lets a loud snarl escape him and sends spears of ice at the first cat before leaping at the second as it moves. All but one of the spears miss, catching the cat in the leg and eliciting a cry from it as Noctis clamps his teeth into the other’s throat, holding on for dear life as it thrashes around. He twists his head around violently, ripping into its throat as it tries to swipe him with its massive claws, catching the fox’s side once but it’s not enough to break him of his hold. With a powerful pull, he rips the flesh from the beast's throat, it collapsing to the ground in a hellish scream as blood gushes from the wound and it’s mouth. Noctis quickly turns towards the last large cat, finding it to still be trudging forward at the teen despite its injured leg. The Kitsune growls malevolently and leaps at the Coeurl, tumbling with it to the ground and biting at its throat. He manages to rip out its throat as well, killing the beast and ending the potential attack on the teen. Noct limps off the beast’s corpse, looking to Gladio and feeling a deep fear overcome him when he notices he has gone still. He rushes to him and climbs into his lap, licking his face and whimpering. The teen grunts and shifts around before opening his eye and looking at the little fox, a soft smile forming on his lips despite the agony he is feeling.

“You, saved me, for real this time, Noct.” he says weakly and reaches a hand up to pet the foxes fur, grimacing when he finds blood matted on his side. “You’re hurt.”

Noctis whimpers happily, licking at the teen’s face and nuzzling up under his neck. Gladio was still alive, but he was greatly injured, just like himself. He was unsure of what to do now, even if he were to change into his human form, he’d still be injured and he wouldn’t be able to carry the much larger boy. So he decides to do the only thing he can think of, pointing his snout to the air and letting out a sharp bark, hoping to alert any potential survivors of the humans to his location so that they may come for Gladio. He begins to pick up the scent of a human, it smelling somewhat similar to the scent the teen gives off, giving Noctis hope. Then an older man appears, looking panicked as he brandishes a large sword. He looks at the little fox in shock before turning his sights to the teen and sighing deeply. 

“Gladio.”

“Dad?” the teen mumbles out, looking up blearily at the man. But then he wraps his arms around the little fox, holding him protectively against him. “He saved me, so please don’t harm him.”

The older man furrows his brows and looks at the Kitsune, letting a soft smile on his lips. “I promise.” he says and takes a step forward, only to stop when he hears a guttural growl. 

Off to the side, is a group of Kitsunes, with one standing larger than the rest, nine tails swirling about behind him. Noctis turns to them, whimpering softly and nudging the teen’s face and licking him before looking back pleadingly at the gathering. The large fox steps forward before stopping and staring down the large human, watching him closely before moving towards the little fox and the human boy. Noctis continues to whimper, pleading with his elder to not harm the teen but stops when steely blue eyes peer into his. The larger fox sniffs at the teen and then licks at his face gently, then turns to the man and nods to him before grabbing the little fox up by his scruff, pulling him from the boy’s arms. The older human rushes to his son and scoops him up, cradling the boy before turning back to the fox clan.

“Thank you.” he says and rushes off with the wounded boy.

Noctis lets out a mournful cry as he is carried back to the den to recuperate and be disciplined for breaking the rules by mingling with a human boy despite the little fox’s pleas that the teen would bring no harm to them. But he was ignored, with the entire clan being on edge, awaiting the day that the humans would return to seek them out, potentially kill or kidnap them. The humans do return a while later, but to the Kitsune’s great surprise, they come bearing gifts for them instead of malice. Noctis and his father step towards Gladio and his, the two humans crouching down and placing a freshly caught basket of fish for them along with silk cloths and some gold trinkets. Noctis wags his three tails happily, looking to the teen who now sports scars on his face and smiling fondly at him. The little fox sniffs the cloth intriguingly, finding it smelling greatly of the boy and climbing up under it before shifting into his human form. He wraps the cloth around himself like a cloak and leaps into the older boy’s arms, snuggling into him and peppering kisses on his face. The two teens look and watch as Noctis’ father slips up under a cloth, turning himself human and wrapping the silk material around himself. Gladio’s father steps forward and reaches a hand out to the man, exchanging greetings with him. The two groups spend the rest of the day telling stories and overcoming their past prejudices of each other as the two boys play. Gladio returns on and off throughout the years, bringing gifts for the little Kitsune who grows two more tails during that time. The older man, now wearing his thick brown hair long and having scruff on his jaw, asks one day to speak to Noctis’ father, seeking permission to build a small cabin close to their den where he wishes to live from now on along with something else neither men tell the young Kitsune about, much to his annoyance. He is allowed to build the structure but no other humans besides the man’s father and sister, her having been introduced to them a few years prior, were permitted to stay with him no matter the circumstance which causes confusion to arise for Noctis. If Gladio were to live to there from now on, with only his closest family being allowed to visit, he couldn’t bring anyone he wished to marry to live with him. Did that mean Gladio didn’t actually plan to live there for the rest of his life as Noctis had originally thought and secretly hoped? It made him feel a strange ache in his chest, that Gladio would leave him but too that he’d find a lover, especially after Noct realized what the heat in his chest, whenever he was around the older man, was from. He had fallen in love with him. Then, once the little home was built and Gladio settled in did the Kitsune get his question answered. Gladio stands before the human form of Noctis, smiling with deep affection and holds out his hand to him. The younger man looks with confusion at the appendage and tentatively places his into the other’s, then gasps softly as the shiny ring he marveled at before is slid onto his finger.

“This is your mother’s wedding ring, why are you giving it to me?”

Gladio chuckles. “Geez, after all these years, you are still so naive.” 

Noctis blinks in confusion and then looks down at the ring, feeling the heat rise in his chest and cheeks. “You mean you, want to spend your life with me?”

“Yes.”

Noctis holds his hand to his chest, tears streaming down his face. He lets out a happy cry and leaps into the man’s arms, pulling him into a kiss. Gladio scoops him up and spins him around, pressing a kiss back to his lips before pressing one to his forehead and then looking down at Noctis bare ankle, seeing the scar from the event that first brought them together.


End file.
